Feb 20 The Beauty Products I Can’t Live Without

Oooh my first beauty post! Well the blog is called Life, Loss and Lipgloss after all! I’m going to let you into a little secret, hold onto your hats cos it’s a huge spoiler… You ready?

I don’t even like lipgloss!!

Gasp, shock, horror! I know, I know. I’m just more of a lipstick kind of gal. The blog was originally called, Life, Loss and Lipstick but as my ever practical and logical hubby pointed out, “it’s a shame you don’t wear lipgloss as it sounds better as it rhymes with loss.” Well thanks Mr Protein for that little pearl of wisdom, yes it does sound better so I went with that.

I think lipgloss looks lovely on other girls but after an unfortunate incident involving a massive fly getting stuck on my ultra-sticky lipglossed lips, I vowed to stick to my trusty lipsticks and have never looked back.

Anyway, although lipstick is my trademark and probably favourite makeup product, I am utterly obsessed with all things beauty and spend an absolute fortune on skincare and makeup.

I am always looking for new products and love finding a new saviour in the beauty world but I wouldn’t be without my ride or die products so I thought I’d share them with you. I’m kind like that.

These are my trusted favourites that I have re-purchased again and again and wouldn’t be without.

Here goes.

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel

I have used this product for around 13 years, maybe even longer. I discovered it on my first trip to New York where Philosophy products are way cheaper than here in the UK and have been an absolute sucker for it ever since. The two-step at home chemical peel is not as scary as it sounds and I have suffered no chemical burns in the time I have been using it! You won’t either, it is very weak and doesn’t hurt at all, I promise! This resurfacing peel is a real skin treat and leaves my skin super soft and glowing. I use it once a week, usually on a skincare Sunday pamper sesh. Think of it as a posh two step facial scrub if the thought of a peel scares you, it did the first time I tried it but this has got to be my all time favourite skincare product. This is a little on the expensive side at £59.50 but it is worth every penny.

Pixi Glow Tonic

This product has a cult following and I’m on at least my sixth bottle now. This award winning toner is delicately fragranced and highly concentrated. It deep cleans pores by sweeping away impurities and excess oil to give you that fresh faced glowing skin you always dreamed of. Glow tonic contains 5% glycolic acid that gently clears your pores with aloe vera to sooth and hydrate your skin, giving you that just woken up after eight hours sleep vibe. Over time you will see an improvement in skin tone and a gorgeously glowing radiant mush. I flippin love this stuff and at £18 it’s a bargain as it lasts for ages.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask

The mask to end all masks. Sure, it is on the pricy side at around £50 but it really is as close to beauty spa quality as you’re going to get at home and I notice an instant difference in my skin after using this. It evens out skin tone, shrinks pores and leaves my skin feeling velvety soft. I will never be without this product in my extensive mask collection, this is definitely my favourite.

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

Again, another extravagant purchase here (£47) so it isn’t something I use for every day cleansing and I certainly wouldn’t waste it as a makeup remover but OMG try it once and you’ll be hooked too - I promise. This product smells incredible, kind of citrusy and the texture is just dreamy. It glides onto your skin and deep cleanses, leaving skin looking dewy and plump. The moisture locking balm deeply penetrates the skin and restores radiance in dull and tired complexions. If it wasn’t so expensive I would use it every day as it is certainly gentle enough but I use it around three times a week. A little goes a long way though so I reckon it’s worth the splurge and I always re-purchase as soon as I am running out.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick

I think I have pretty much every colour from her collection! In my opinion these are the best lipsticks you can buy, again not cheap (£24) but you get what you pay for and these last for ages. The lipsticks are long wearing, the colour range is incredible and the matte lipsticks are actually quite moisturising and stay put for most of the day. I always treat myself to a new lippy every month and it is always a Tilbury. There is a huge range of nude lipsticks, who knew you needed so many different types of nude! And the bold colours are my absolute faves, I often get asked what lipstick I’m wearing and it is always a Charlotte Tilbury and the answer is usually Bond Girl, Very Victoria or Walk of Shame.

Bobbi Brown Cream Corrector

I must have gone through around 10 of these as I have used it for years and am never without it. This is probably the makeup product that if I could only wear one thing on my face because some cruel person said I had to, I would choose this. The corrector is worn underneath concealer (but to be fair you can get away with this alone) and gets rid of those under eye bags in a jiffy. I was dubious at first and thought the sales girl was just trying to get me to spend more money telling me I needed to use a corrector underneath my concealer but alas she was right. This product makes a huge difference in waking up my dreary face and making me look like I have had seven hours sleep when the reality is more like three. It’s time to get fresh faced! This is a real miracle worker and at £19.50 I think it is really worth the price as it is one of my most hard working products.

Lancome Grandiose Mascara

This is one of the best mascaras I have tried and I have repurchased heaps of times but they keep on whacking up the price so I am always on the lookout for a cheaper alternative (priced currently at £25 but it seems to go up every time I get it!). I absolutely LOATHE false eyelashes, it’s not the noughties now! but this mascara gives you full, thick ‘are they real?’ eyelashes in a second without being as try hard as fake stick on lashes which I think only drag artists can reasonably pull off!

So there you have it a selection of my favourite beauty buys that I always re-purchase. I’d love to hear your favourites in the comments. I am always on the lookout for new stars.

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Friday feels! 🛁 Mindfulness comes in many forms and spending an hour in the tub with a book a few times a week and a few luxury bath products might sound simple but it does me the world of good. Anyone else want to drink my bath? 💖 .
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A year ago today we said goodbye to Billy for the last time. At 1pm we held a very small intimate funeral for our son, a task no parent should ever have to endure. I recall thinking afterwards that although the service was lovely, it was the second worst day of my life (the day I was told he’d died will always hold that award, hands down). It was a beautiful, sunny day but it could have torrentially rained all day for all I cared. I fit the soap opera stereotype of a grieving mother perfectly. Chic little black dress, huge Chanel dark sunglasses and hair in a sleek ponytail as I mustered up some serious inner strength to get through this. I clutched onto one of Billy’s teddies in one hand, my husbands with the other whilst my mom held onto my arm the whole way through. The surrealness of being inside a hearse with a tiny white coffin with your child inside still sits with me to this day. I felt dizzy and sick and just remember reading the little name plaque on the coffin over and over again trying to calm myself down. It felt like I was having an out of body experience and sometimes, it still does. I watched as my husband carried the tiny coffin in his arms to the stand, a mixture of pride and heartbreak in equal measures. No daddy should ever have to do that and no mummy should ever see it. We listened to the John Lennon song “beautiful boy” because he was. So so beautiful. ❤️ I have always loved this song, especially the line on this post. None of us could ever begin to plan for something like this, not in our worst nightmares. .
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I forgot to share this last week but here are the leaves with the babies names who were taken too soon floating away on Billy’s birthday. The intense gale force winds made this task so much fun. 😂 We managed to have a lovely day on what should have been his birthday and had a very peaceful and relaxing week in our little cottage in Wales. I held it together really well (the days running up to it were much harder) and I’ve been expecting it all to catch up on me this week and hit me hard, but it really hasn’t. I’m feeling more positive and happy than I have done in ages. I guess it’s onwards and upwards from here! 🙌🏻💙🧡⭐️ .
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September. Used to be my favourite month of the year, it’s my birthday month after all and we get to enjoy the early autumn days where we start to wear cosy clothes and enjoy pumpkin spiced lattes! But now my birthday will always be 3 days after my son’s funeral so it’s never gonna quite be the same again. It was also Billy’s actual due date on 12 September, planned C section date on 6 September and his funeral took place on 12 September so there are a lot of milestones coming up. But you know what, I’m not gonna dwell on any of these dates. I’m going to simply let them pass by without letting this month be a write off. I’m going to enjoy my birthday this year. Mr Protein said I can have WHATEVER I want for my birthday as last years was so rubbish.... I pity the fool sometimes! 😂 I’m going to enjoy this September, go for lots of autumnal walks, splurge on a new coat and pair of ankle boots and have a really great month. Last September was so utterly horrendous for us and we got through that and I’m looking forward to the rest of this year. I’m feeling so much more positive now that we’ve got the ‘first year’ done. So here’s to a fabulous September for us all! 🍁 🍁 🍁 .
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And just like that, a whole year has gone by. Billy Stardust should be one. And if he was here, I probably wouldn’t be cruel enough to label him with Stardust in his name.... or maybe I would! This year has been the hardest we’ve ever faced. How does anyone prepare for this, let alone get over this. To carry your baby to full term, have the nursery ready, own just about every baby item ever invented thanks to a very enthusiastic nanny! And then, in a puff of smoke it’s over. Over before it ever really began. A life so short has made such a big impact. .
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I’ll always miss you little one. It’ll never be right that you aren’t here. I always wonder what you’d be like now; cheeky, mischievous, beautiful. Would you be a fussy eater or a total gannet? I bet you’d laugh non-stop, your dad and I are pretty damn funny. I know you would be too. I hope you’re not causing too much mischief up there. I don’t want to hear that you’re always on heavens naughty step when I meet you there one day. Or maybe you can be as naughty as you like up there, it is heaven after all! I promise we will make up for all the cuddles we have missed out on, I’ll never let you go when we meet again. We love you so much. I’ve struggled to say happy birthday because you should be here to join the party, but just this once, happy birthday little guy. We love you more than you could ever imagine. ❤️💙 .
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Thanks for all of the messages today from our nearest and dearest and all the DMs, the support of those around us means so much and receiving so much love today has meant a lot. 😊❤️
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For Billy’s anniversary I’ve written the names of all of the babies whose parents I’ve connected with and spoken to regularly over the last year (Can’t tag everyone Instagram has a limit on the number of tags).
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Babies who like Billy were not here for long enough, whose short lives have had the biggest impact. I cried so much when I was doing this, just seeing all of these babies names together, and this isn’t even a fraction of it. There are way too many leaves on my table. Way too many hearts broken here. But there is also a lot of strength here. An ability to fight through the pain, to carry on smiling despite a broken heart. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, made me laugh and shared a bit of dark humour with me over the past year. Thank you to our babies for bringing us together. ❤️💙 I wish so much that these leaves were still on my tree and that these babies were with our families as they should be. .
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I’m going to scatter these leaves at sea in Wales on what would have been Billy’s first birthday. I hope these little ones cross paths wherever they are and see their names floating away together. 💙💙💙
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My new Billy Bear made by one of my best friends moms, the incredibly talented @thelittlecoverup (aunty Arlene to me!). What a lovely, thoughtful gift to be given at such a difficult time. I’ll treasure him forever. 💙
@thelittlecoverup not only makes these wonderful bears, but also lovely baby clothes. Check her out! .
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